Over 30 Arrested in NBA Betting and Poker Ring

U.S. authorities arrested more than 30 people, including Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier, in two related federal indictments alleging an NBA insider-betting scheme that manipulated prop bets and a separate, Mafia-linked ring that ran rigged high-stakes poker games. Prosecutors say the sports-betting scheme involved players, coaches and associates leaking nonpublic information — including faked or exaggerated injuries and early exits — to straw bettors across at least seven games, producing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. Billups is accused of helping lend legitimacy to the underground poker operation that allegedly used sophisticated cheating tools such as shuffling machines, special eyewear/contact lenses and x‑ray tables, while Damon Jones and others are named as intermediaries in the betting scheme. Rozier is accused of informing co‑conspirators he would exit games early and passing that information to bettors; he had previously been investigated by the NBA but was not found to have violated league rules. The investigation — conducted with cooperation from the NBA and law‑enforcement partners — remains active, officials said, and Rozier and Billups have been placed on indefinite leave as prosecutors warned more arrests or charges may be possible.